Setting Goals and Charting Your Research Path

As, the fall semester takes off and ORDE is beginning to meet with early career researchers (ECRs) in a variety of fields, it seems like an ideal time to talk about setting research goals and planning to reach those goals. Now, this may seem pretty straightforward, but any researcher who has grappled with what to do and what not to do knows that it is not.

We meet with ECRs who run the gamut in terms of research focus. Many are wide open and have dabbled in a few research areas in their postdocs. Still, others have gone down a narrow path and have a very clear focus to their work.

For those that the world is their oyster, in terms of what path to head down, they may be flexible enough to mold their research and work to take advantage of great funding opportunities in some "hot" areas. However, as Professor Alan M. Johnson says, "no longer is it competitive to have a Ph.D. and let your research career 'drift' based on what comes along. You must be proactive rather than reactive in how you approach your research career." (Charting a Course for a Successful Research Career) So, the danger in being too flexible is that you may end up allowing the opportunities to create your research path instead of intentionally setting your own course.

For those with a narrow focus, the danger lies in a potential dearth of funding and/or high competition with more seasoned investigators in the area. Many ECRs applying to the NIH are particularly sensitive to the fact that with only one resubmission allowed for their grant, if what they have focused on comes back a "no" to a grant application twice, they feel stuck, with few options but to move in a new direction.

So, there are very real dangers on both sides of the spectrum, and navigating those is crucial to accomplishing a rewarding and well-funded research career. To help navigate these, the University of Michigan Medical School offers a "Mentored Research Academy" that asks the following questions of its ECRs:

• What do I want to be known for as a researcher?
• How crowded is the field? Given the competition, can I build a national reputation in this area?
• Are my research questions significant? Innovative? Fundable?
• What further skills/knowledge/abilities do I need to acquire?

In answering these questions, and as you begin to plan the next five years of your research career, it is vital that you understand the gaps/needs in the field you're planning to focus on. The faculty at the Auraria Library and the Health Sciences Library are available to help you plan and conduct a comprehensive literature search. Even if you think you've turned over every stone, you'll be amazed at how comprehensive our librarians can help you be.

Another important touch point to have is a sense of the funding landscape for your research. What's being funded currently? How big are the awards? Which agencies are funding the research and will their foci likely stay the same. The Office of Research Development and Education can help you with this by sitting down with you in a strategy session and offering you a personalized fund search.

Certainly, this blog just starts to touch on some of the things that ECRs need to think about to build an intentional and successful career, but if you're interested in delving into these topics with your colleagues, please watch for upcoming fall seminars on Charting Your Research Path and Searching Literature and Funding Landscapes (in partnership with our libraries). See our most up to date schedule here.